FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 1999

BLUE WORLD LASSO WEB DATA ENGINE TO SUPPORT APACHE ON MAC OS X SERVER

New Configuration to Provide Unrivaled Performance and Power to
Further Lasso’s Lead as the Dominant Force in Mac OS-Based Web
Database Publishing

BELLEVUE, WA – March 22, 1999 – Blue World Communications, Inc. today
announced its plan to bring the award-winning Lasso Web Data Engine
to industry leading Apache Web servers for the recently released Mac
OS X Server operating system from Apple Computer.

“As the leading Web Database Engine for Mac OS, support for Apple’s
new industrial-strength Mac OS X Server operating system furthers
Lasso’s dominant position within the growing Mac OS Internet server
tool market,” said Blue World president and CEO Bill Doerrfeld. “With
support for Apache, trend-setting Lasso technology will enhance the
most popular Web server used on the Internet, continuing Lasso’s
rapid acceptance and recognition as the price/performance leader
among Web Application Servers.”

New Standard for Performance

Lasso for Apache for Mac OS X Server is anticipated to provide
unrivaled performance among Lasso-powered database-driven websites
furthering the fastest performing configuration of Apache 1.3.4-the
world’s most popular Web server-attained by Apple in their Mac OS X
Server implementation.* What’s more, interoperability with
high-performance multi-threaded databases on Mac OS X Server will
elevate the Lasso Web Data Engine’s position within enterprises
requiring robust, fail safe, advanced database server capabilities.

)From FileMaker Pro to Beyond

The Lasso Web Data Engine established it’s reputation as the leading
Web database connectivity tool for FileMaker Pro databases from
FileMaker, Inc. providing unrivaled performance, features and
exclusive cross-platform capabilities. Through aggressive development
and careful attention to customer requests and market directions,
Blue World has rapidly evolved the Lasso Web Data Engine into a
powerful multi-platform, database independent, highly extensible Web
Application Server capable of addressing the needs of beginning to
advanced Web application developers alike. As such, the Lasso Web
Data Engine offers unparalleled scalability. Beginning Web
application developers can easily grasp Lasso’s unique HTML-like
tag-based programming language-or use standard Server-Side
JavaScript-to prototype Web solutions on common desktop environments
such as Mac OS 8.5 or Windows 95/98 using FileMaker Pro or other
databases, and deploy on Mac OS X Server or Windows NT using
high-performance multi-threaded databases with virtually no
modification to one’s Lasso code.

Instantly Web-Publish Databases

For immediate Web-access to database information, the Lasso Web Data
Engine provides the industry’s only tool for instantly publishing
both FileMaker Pro and any ODBC-compliant databases across platforms
with point-and-click ease; no HTML or CGI programming required. From
within a Web browser, users simply select any network accessible data
source and immediately search, add, update and delete records. No
other solution provides more immediate Web-based access to databases.

Web-Enabling FileMaker Pro on Mac OS X Server

Lasso for Apache for Mac OS X Server can Web-enable Web Companion
configured FileMaker Pro 4.x databases residing in the Mac OS 8.5
Compatibility Environment within Mac OS X Server or located on remote
machines accessible over TCP/IP, regardless of the platform.
FileMaker Pro customers who require the power and speed offered by a
Unix-based CGI and Web server will finally have a solution in Lasso
for Apache for Mac OS X Server.

)From Apache on Mac OS X Server to Beyond

By conforming to the Apache module standard, Lasso for Apache can be
easily recompiled to support other popular operating systems and Web
servers including Linux, Solaris from Sun Microsystems and the
Apache-based WebTen from Tenon Intersystems. Support for operating
systems and servers will be based upon customer requests and market
directions.

Mac OS; The Internet Publishing Platform

Blue World has been a leading figure in the Mac OS Internet server
arena since its inception nearly five years ago based upon the belief
that Apple’s Mac OS operating system would grow from its dominant
position in print and new media publishing to lead the emerging
Internet publishing industry. While the majority of websites are
authored using Mac OS and many websites are powered by Mac OS as
their server platform, today’s dominant Internet server publishing
platform, as a result of its roots, is Unix. With Unix-based Mac OS X
Server and its revolutionary Open Source initiative, Apple operating
systems are well positioned to fulfill the vision of Mac OS as the
future dominant Internet publishing platform. Blue World and its
leading Web Application Server technology are well positioned to
drive and in turn benefit by Mac OS as the preferred Internet server
platform.

About the Lasso Web Data Engine

The Lasso Web Data Engine is leading cross-platform Web Application
Server software letting Web developers quickly build and deploy
sophisticated database-driven Web applications for enhanced Web
browser access to information via intranets and the Internet. Lasso
is the leading solution for Web-enabling FileMaker Pro 4.x databases
in addition to providing robust support for any ODBC-compliant
database, including Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Informix, Microsoft
Access, Sybase and more. Lasso’s innovative architecture provides an
industry first multi-platform, database-independent and open
standards approach to building database-driven websites firmly
positioning Lasso technology within the rapidly evolving server-side
Web tools market. With early Lasso technology embedded within the
market-leading personal and workgroup database FileMaker Pro 4.x from
FileMaker, Inc. combined with the rapidly growing installed based of
Lasso customers, Lasso technology is used at tens of thousands of
business critical websites worldwide. Additional information about
the Lasso Web Data Engine-including competitive comparison reports,
feature overviews, customer success stories, Lasso Internet Service
Providers, Lasso-powered sites, Lasso solutions, distributors and
resellers and a downloadable test drive version-are available at
http://www.blueworld.com/lasso/.

Pricing and Availability

Lasso for Apache for Mac OS X Server is scheduled for public beta
release by the end of the second quarter and release by the second
half of this year. Pricing and detailed configuration information is
not available at this time.

About Blue World Communications, Inc.

Blue World Communications (http://www.blueworld.com) develops
cross-platform Internet middleware software allowing Internet and
intranet information administrators to quickly build sophisticated
database-driven Web applications. Blue World provides the Lasso Web
Data Engine (http://www.blueworld.com/lasso/), the Blue World Store
(http://store.blueworld.com) and the Blue World ListSearch service
(http://listsearch.blueworld.com) in fulfillment of its mission of
“bringing business to the internet ™.” Recently cited as the State
of Washington’s 12th fastest growing technology company, Blue World,
based in Bellevue, WA, is a privately held company founded in 1992.
Media Contact:
Sharol Hance
Blue World Communications, Inc.
425.646.0288, sharol@blueworld.com

* Apache 1.3.4 on Mac OS X Server performance claims based on benchmarks
announced in Apple’s March 16, 1999 Mac OS X Server press release.